2001 Mazda Protegé ES-2.0

A difference you can feel.

Most Read

As a mechanically curious kind of guy, it warms the mitral valve of my heart when a new car introduction includes a table-full of interesting components that wouldn't normally be seen. At 's event introducing the revamped 2001 Protegé, the parts du jour were large metal stampings welded together to form suspension subframes, painted in regulation semi-gloss black.

Nothing unusual here (other than the presentation itself being held at the end of a pier), but as we'd later find out on our drive inland of La Jolla, California, these strengthened pieces turn an already fun-to-drive machine into a precision tool for cornering.

Specifically, thicker-gauge metal now forms the front subframe, a piece further fortified with a bolt-on stamped plate connecting the control-arm attachment points. At the rear, anchor points for the struts' lower transverse links have been suitably reinforced, as have two other brackets that tie the subframe to the car's structure. Rear spindles (which, on the ES model, carry standard disc brakes) are also more rigid. Factor in the ES's standard 16-in. alloy wheels (an inch larger for 2001) wearing 195/50R-16 tires and stiffer front and rear anti-roll bars, and you have one crisp-handling car.

In hard numbers, Mazda claims an 18-percent improvement in response time (from when the steering wheel is moved until the car actually starts to turn) over last year's Protegé ES. And, as you can see in the photo, body lean is extremely well controlled; again quoting Mazda's figures, it's just 2 degrees at 0.5g lateral acceleration.

As always, there's a price to pay: about 100 additional lb., which partially offsets the torque gains of the new 130-bhp 2.0-liter dohc 16-valve engine, shared with the 626—with a peak of 135 lb.-ft. at 4000 rpm, it's up 15 lb.-ft. (and 8 bhp) on the 1.8 it replaces.

Although a decent performer and quite smooth, this ULEV-certified powerplant lacks the willingness to rev and midrange response of some other 2.0-liter competitors, such as Ford's Zetec or Chrysler's single-cam Neon engine. A chassis this good deserves better.

Thankfully, the Protegé's manual 5-speed shift linkage remains as robust as ever, and the available 4-speed automatic we sampled was crisp-shifting and showed little tendency to hunt on grades. The twincam 1.6-liter remains as the base engine, but with 103 bhp pulling about 2500 lb. of Protegé, you'd have to be content just keeping up with traffic. At least this year, the 2.0-liter is also available in the LX version, the middle trim level.

We've always admired the taut, European- inspired lines of this Protegé iteration, and the car's new beak continues the theme, possibly with a bit of Ford's New Edge design in the hood's sharp creases and headlights' angrier glower. Inside, white-face gauges with red markings (on ES models) look great in the daytime but start to hemorrhage and lose definition at night.

Also new is a redesigned center console, metallic accents on the dash, new sound system options that include a 6-CD in-dash player, and significantly improved, more supportive seats. Climate-control knobs are also upsized from the somewhat miniaturized versions of last year's model.

There are two other nice surprises, both under $20,000. On sale in mid-May, the Protegé Sport Wagon will be offered, only in ES trim. With a rally-inspired front fascia, yellow foglights, chrome-behind-glass taillights, 16-in. alloy wheels and the 's 3-spoke steering wheel, this creation should take all the "family" stigma out of owning a wagon, and account for 20 percent of Protegé sales.

For the hardcore performance freaks among us, the MP3, a 150-bhp version of the sedan that's been co-developed with longtime Mazda tuner Racing Beat, should be available as you read this. Equipment includes 17-in. Racing Hart wheels shod with 205-width high-performance radials that go with a retuned suspension. Production volume is pegged at 1500 a year.

Considering all the changes, price increases are modest, with the base 1.6-liter DX starting at $12,700 and the manual-transmission ES-2.0 going for $16,100. These are reasonable sums indeed for buyers looking for a solidly-built compact sedan with smile- inducing levels of grip and handling.